News

'SNL' Has A Solution For Unhappy Voters

by Alex Gladu

On Saturday, crowds continued to protest the victory of President-elect Donald Trump, almost two weeks after he unexpectedly won the presidential election. They gathered in the streets of Washington, D.C., outside Trump Tower in New York City, and elsewhere, chanting things like, "No Donald Trump," and carrying signs with similar sayings. Meanwhile, Saturday Night Live introduced "The Bubble," a post-election solution for unhappy voters who want to avoid a Trump presidency.

The Bubble, according to SNL's sketch, is a "planned community of like-minded free-thinkers — and no one else." In other words, supporters of Hillary Clinton and Bernie Sanders are in, but everyone else is out. The Bubble comes fully packed with everything you'll need to successfully avoid the next four years of President Trump's America, including adoptable dogs, hybrid cars, and used book stores. Not to mention, you apparently pay with currency that bears Sanders' face. Important question for SNL here: Does that mean college tuition is free?

The sketch put a lighthearted — if totally satirical — spin on the very real frustration that many Americans have felt since the general election. But if The Bubble is starting to sound like the place for you, there's good news: It might not be as far away as you think.

That's right — The Bubble actually exists in some form. It's Brooklyn. Or, rather, "It's Brooklyn — with a bubble on it," according to SNL's Kenan Thompson. One-bedroom apartments cost almost $2 million and farmers' markets feature "small farms with the rawest milk you've ever tasted."

The Bubble may also already exist in some form online. In SNL's version of The Bubble, residents have access to high-speed internet, but they are shielded from news that contradicts their lifestyle. In other words, they can watch Netflix documentaries about sushi rice and read The Huffington Post, but they probably aren't going to see any headlines from Breitbart.

In reality, you don't need to live in The Bubble, or in Brooklyn, to shield yourself from news that goes against your point of view. During the presidential campaign season, fake news sometimes outperformed real news on social media. Much of this fake news seemed to benefit Trump, thanks to headlines like "Pope Francis Shocks World, Endorses Trump for President, Releases Statement."

To be clear, shielding yourself from fake news is a good thing. Shielding yourself from real news you don't want to hear is not so good. Meanwhile, The Bubble is all kinds of unrealistic, which is a good reminder to stay grounded in the real world, even when Trump is about to become president.